Hancock Park Residence

The generous, fan-shaped property showed a lot of promise so we decided to rework the structure in accordance with local preservation standards, and we moved the design in a French Provençale direction. In front, we also added a low wall, fountain, and plantings evocative of southern France to create a gentle introductory layer between the house and street.

As the property was generous and appealing, we took advantage of a dilapidated two-car garage at the lot’s rear to create a compound rather than enlarging the house to accommodate the family’s needs. By converting the garage into a pool pavilion, complete with family room, gym and guest quarters, and installing floor-to-ceiling, glass-and-steel windows and doors along the back of the house, we could maintain a more intimate main residence, and activate the yard by creating openness and movement between the two structures.

The result is a light-filled, nearly loft-like residence with a living room that stretches the full width of the house. Given that we seem to spend all of our time in the kitchen/breakfast room, we enlarged the space and opened it up to the garden.